Here's the news you need to know for this week.

The part of MBEP's summit last week that was most inspiring to me was the AgTech panel. I am following up with Driscoll's, Hahn Family Winery, and others so we can learn about the cutting edge technology they're using to run their businesses.

Startup Grind has invited me to be the featured guest at their Monday, May 16, 6pm, Fireside Chat at NextSpace in Santa Cruz. You're invited. Come network and nosh. I hear they're providing beer, wine, and food. Get the details in the article below, and rsvp.

The region is buzzing. Salinas debuted their new solar farm. Cruzio and the City of Santa Cruz are moving forward with the fiber project. A Seattle writer reflects from afar what we're doing here (without fiber). Find out why Lightspeed POS (originally MerchantOS) is closing their Santa Cruz office. Startup Challenge is gearing up for their May 6 event where 26 finalists will vie for top prizes. SlugRoute is helping riders track campus shuttles on UCSC campus.

Boo hoo. The last broadcast of GeekSpeak will be this Saturday, May 7, 11am to 12 noon. They will keep producing the podcast, but KUSP 88.9 is selling its FM signal. GeekSpeak is a real Santa Cruz gem.

All this, and more! Scroll down and start reading the news!

Sara Isenberg

Founder, Publisher, Editor-in-Chief